Chinese Export Silver Mirror

- Item No.

Key Features

Item Details

Width:
18 1/2 Inches

Height:
25 Inches

Period:
20th Century

Origin:
Other

This exquisite Chinese export silver mirror is a work of exotic beauty. Elegantly shaped and monumental in size, this looking glass is held within a silver frame of extraordinary artistry, boasting a chased and engraved floral boarder and guarded by two dragons at the top, who bear between them a silver disk emblazoned with a Chinese character "zhang", meaning auspicious. Set upon a solid wood back with a pierced metal stand, this mirror is a masterpiece of Chinese silver.

Silver is a plentiful raw material in China, so it's been widely used in decorative objects, from boxes to bowls, since the 7th century. Chinese export silver was made in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring designs that include Chinese dragons rather than Western motifs such as goats and grapes. Though much of it remained in China, the majority of the exported silver went to Boston or New York and later San Francisco in the US and to various ports in the UK, in particular Scotland. It also went to various European and Scandinavian countries, the Middle East and India. In the 17th century, Chinese silversmiths were supplying silver to royal and aristocratic households in Europe, including the Imperial Court in Russia. Chinese silver was made by hand, with its elaborate designs hammered out by master Chinese craftsmen. Largely unknown until the mid-1970s, a great deal of Chinese silver has been acquired by museums, making this exquisite bowl a highly desirable rarity on the market.